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Salem Public Schools Weekly Update
for School Year 2022-2023
A Note From the Superintendent
June 16, 2023
SPS families,
With the exception of Carlton, today we conclude our final full week of the school year. On Monday, there is no school in observance of Juneteenth. Tuesday is a full day for all grade 1-11 students (last day for Pre-K/K students) and Wednesday is an early release, last day of school for everyone else.
As a reminder to all, Juneteenth is a federal holiday which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in our country. It is important that we celebrate this monumental event of freedom and independence while never forgetting about the ills and dehumanization of slavery. We ask that you speak with your child about the importance of the day (see resource here) and the reason why there is no school. Please be aware that the City of Salem is raising the Juneteenth flag at Riley Plaza on June 19th at 10 am. All are welcome to attend the celebration.
I also want to point our families to our summer learning landing page on our website where we have a wealth of learning activities for our students of all ages and grades. We encourage our students to keep their minds busy and fully engaged with these high-quality resources across all content areas - math, literacy, science and social studies. These are dynamic learning opportunities (mostly online) that will help minimize the impact of learning loss over the summer. Additionally, I want to highlight our summer reading information (Grades PreK-8 and Grades 9-12) with a new and exciting challenge! Any student (all grades) who turns in a summer reading log will be eligible to win a ride to school in a fire truck in the fall! (One per school) Please spread the word!
Enjoy the longer Juneteenth weekend and Happy Father's Day to all our SPS fathers.
Best,
Steve
And the winner is……
At Salem Public Schools, we are recognizing one staff member a week who exemplifies our core values of celebrating differences, facilitating collaboration, fostering innovation, creating equity and access, growing all students, and upholding high standards for all. We are surprising a deserving SPS team member with a rock star trophy.
This week, the rockstar award goes to Salem High School science teacher, Ms. Emilee Greco. Ms. Greco is an excellent practitioner who goes to great lengths to provide students with detailed and comprehensive feedback on their work assignments. She balances praise with explicit guidance on the steps students can take to improve on specific standards. Ms. Greco offers a strong model for the type of input students should receive about their progress towards end of the year expectations and goals.
Summer Reading
Summer brings opportunities to spend time with friends and family and enjoy the outdoors. We hope that you and your student will also continue to read to develop a love of books and learning new things.
Here are summer reading suggestions created by the American Library Association for students in Grades PreK-8 that will help you and your student select books together. As always, we suggest that you follow your child’s lead and choose books and topics that interest them.
For grades 9-12, we've elected to use the MA Teen Choice Book nominees, which is a list of 21 books curated by public and school librarians. The titles are available in limited quantity in the SHS library, copies will be available at the Salem Public Library, and starting on July 1st, Sora will have the ebook and audiobook versions available with no wait times for all members of the MLS ebook collection. More information about these reading selections can be found here.
Last days of school!
Here are the dates for the upcoming last days of school!
PK/K - Tuesday, June 20 (full day)
1-11 - Wednesday, June 21 (early release)
Summer P-EBT Benefits
Massachusetts has received federal approval to continue Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits covering school year 2022 – 2023 and summer 2023. This is the last round of school year and summer P-EBT food benefits following the end of the federal public health emergency on May 11.
Eligible K-12 families will receive a retroactive P-EBT payment on June 25 for COVID-19-related school absences that occurred September 2022 through May 11, 2023. Amounts depend on the number of COVID-19-related excused absences accrued in a month as reported by school districts:
- 1-5 absences: $25 a month per student
- 6-15 absences: $82 a month per student
- 16+ absences: $147 a month per student
In addition, an estimated 475,000 school-age children and their families will receive $120 per student in one Summer P-EBT payment on July 25.
Families will continue to receive P-EBT on the same card they did in the past. Households who lost their P-EBT card can request a replacement card. Newly eligible students will receive P-EBT benefits on their EBT card if they receive DTA benefits or will be mailed a P-EBT card if they do not receive DTA benefits.
Summer Program Availability!
As we near the end of the school year, we wanted to let you know that we are now accepting applications for waitlist spots in a few of our SPS summer programs. If you are interested in registering your student in one of our programs, please contact your school’s City Connects Coordinator.
Back to School for the 2023-2024 School Year
Grade 9 students begin on August 28th
Grades 1-8 and grades 10-12 begin on August 29th.
Pre-K and K begin on September 5th
CARLTON P2+ begins on August 28th and P1 begins on August 31st.
School calendars can be found here. Scroll down the page until you see the calendar icons similar to the one shown here.
Stay tuned for information about our big back-to-school picnic on August 23rd, which will take place at Saltonstall this year.
Summer Eats!
It's time for summer break! We hope everyone had a great school year. Salem Food and Nutrition Services will be running our FREE meal service program again this year at multiple locations throughout the city. We will be offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner. FREE summer meals will be available to students 18 and under at our open-site locations. No registration or ID is required to participate!
The program will launch with our kick-off event at Mary Jane Lee Park on July 6th, 2023 from 4 PM - 6 PM. The event will have a DJ, giveaways, prizes, and of course FREE meals! Free adult meals will be provided as well at the kick-off by our partnership with Root. We will be offering fun activities at our Mary Jane Lee Park location this year run by student helpers. Activities include lawn games, arts and crafts, and sports! Take a look at the summer site locations and meal times!
Transportation for the 2023-2024 School Year - Important info!
Transportation applications for the 2023-2024 school year opened on Monday, May 1, 2023, in the Aspen family portal. The Transportation Department sent information to families with instructions on how to apply, so please check your email, text messages, and ParentSquare notifications.
All students who wish to ride the bus for the 2023-2024 school year must submit an application, even if the student currently rides the bus or is considered a mandatory rider. A completed application must be submitted by Saturday, July 1, 2023. Applications received after July 1, 2023, will not be accepted except in extenuating circumstances to allow proper time for processing and routing.
If you have any questions, please call the Salem Public Schools Transportation Office at
(978) 740-1240.
Angela's Preschool and Daycare
We are excited to announce that Angela's Preschool and Daycare is now open at Salem High School! Our preschool and daycare facility is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment for your child's growth and development. Enroll your child now by contacting 978-335-1413
We understand the importance of quality care and education for your child, which is why our experienced staff is committed to providing personalized attention to each child in our care. Our curriculum focuses on social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development to ensure your child a well-rounded and ready for their next educational journey.
The Virtual Backpack
Welcome to the Virtual Backpack. This is a space where we will place items that in the past may have been a flyer in your student's backpack from friends and partners to SPS.
Download the ParentSquare app today!
A reminder that ParentSquare is the district platform for communication. You will receive communication from the district, your school, and your student's classroom all in one space. You can communicate 1-to-1 with teachers, sign up for parent-teacher conferences, and more.
This is how our school and teachers communicate with families districtwide. Please be sure you are receiving messages from ParentSquare. If need support downloading the app or receiving messages, please contact your school's front office. You can visit www.parentsquare.com for more information.
Salem, MA 01970
Salem Public School District is committed to maintaining a work and learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/civil union status, ancestry, place of birth, age, citizenship status, veteran status, political affiliation, genetic information or disability, as defined and required by state and federal laws.